THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 13, 1995 TAG: 9505110342
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BRENDA HARRIS, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 146 lines
Old Donation Farm is a secluded upscale neighborhood with spacious custom-built homes in a variety of styles.
The Virginia Beach subdivision's single street loops around the tip of a peninsula that juts into the western branch of the Lynnhaven River.
Approximately half the lots are waterfront, offering a pleasing vista across wide expanses of water. One can see the neighborhoods of Thalia, Kings Grant and Saw Pen Point in different directions across the water.
The houses on the other side of the street all have water views. The neighborhood's name , like other nearby areas, comes from its proximity to Old Donation Episcopal Church.
According to the city assessor's office, there are 42 parcels of land. Twenty-seven lots have houses; 15 lots remain undeveloped, most of them waterfront. The average assessment in the area is $300,000.
Although it's in the Pembroke area in the heart of Virginia Beach, it's hard to find the neighborhood unless you knows exactly where you're going. There is no neighborhood entrance on a main thoroughfare. The only access to Old Donation Farm is through two older neighborhoods, Pembroke Meadows and J.C. Hudgins Shores.
Robert Little, retired from Bell Atlantic, and his wife, Brenda, a registered nurse, have lived in the neighborhood since 1988. They are now living in their second Old Donation Farm house, a four-bedroom, three-bath brick transitional ranch with 3,700 square feet.
They moved from the nearby Pembroke Meadows neighborhood because they wanted to upgrade. ``This is a quiet, upscale neighborhood that is convenient to everywhere,'' Bob Little says.
Dr. Zia Razzaq, his wife Yasmin, and sons Noor, 14, and Fori, 9, live in a 4,500-square foot brick house with five bedrooms and four baths.
Razzaq, a civil engineering professor at Old Dominion University, explained why he bought in the neighborhood. ``I found out about the area at a party,'' he says. ``I called Donald Reid (the developer), and he showed it to me before he advertised it. I was the first buyer here.
``I remember standing here. There were big trees, a dirt road, the old manor house, and the view across the water. I liked this lot because, although not waterfront, the lot across the street was common area. I had a view across the water that would never be blocked.''
Residents belong to a homeowners' association, which was incorporated in 1994. The yearly dues are $390, paid twice a year in $195 installments.
The fees are usually earmarked to maintain the 3.9 acres of common ground, the tennis courts, and the neighborhood's entrance. There is a dock, although no overnight mooring is allowed. Plans include a park at the common ground by the boat dock.
The development site is rich in history. In the center of the neighborhood, surrounded by modern luxury homes and common area, is the Ferry Farm Manor House, believed to have been built in the 1820s.
It is the site of Princess Anne County's second courthouse from 1735 to 1755. Grace Sherwood, Virginia's first convicted witch, is said to have been jailed near the property at the beginning of the 18th century.
Adding to the manor house's mystique is the story told by some local residents that they have seen Grace's ghost. Colonial Williamsburg archaeologists conducted a dig on the site in 1987 and unearthed more than 50,000 artifacts.
According to Robert Little, Ferry Farm was also the location of a Colonial ferry service to the Great Neck area. Susan Thoroughgood, Adam Thoroughgood's daughter, was Virginia's first woman entrepreneur.
The Commonwealth of Virginia contracted her to operate the ferry and paid in tobacco. During the Civil War, there was an encampment on the site, although no battles were fought there.
The neighborhood's recent history has included some controversy. Years ago the City of Virginia Beach planned to extend Pembroke Boulevard. It was to cross to the Kings Grants area, eventually connecting to Old Donation Parkway in the Great Neck corridor.
It was to have been a much-needed east-west thoroughfare. The road would have run through the site of Old Donation Farm. Residents of all affected neighborhoods got the plan axed in the late 1980s.
Another dispute concerned the nearby Pembroke Meadows neighborhood. Residents there circulated petitions in 1987 to try to block any development near the historic Ferry Farm Manor House. They were unsuccessful.
Old Donation Farm residents joined them a few years later in protesting the extension of Pembroke Boulevard across an earthen dam on Lake Meadows which would have become Old Donation Farm's main entrance. There was great concern that the construction equipment would cause the collapse of the dam.
This was a successful struggle, and Pembroke Boulevard now ends by the area pool and neighborhood park. The only access to Old Donation Farm is by a bike and walkway across the dam.
The current controversy involves the ownership of the Ferry Farm Manor House, which has a clouded title. A prospective buyer plans to live in the manor house.
Residents contend that subdivision covenants state that the manor house would never be used as a personal dwelling. Most residents support the use of the manor house as a museum, similar to the Adam Thoroughgood House, which is also in the middle of a residential area.
The delays caused by the debate have caused deterioration of the property. Weeds are widespread, the house needs extensive repair, and there has been some vandalism.
Old Donation Farm is a secluded waterfront neighborhood where the past meets the present in a very visible way. The manor house gives a clue to what life was like in Princess Anne County in the past, and the luxurious modern homes tell us about life in Virginia Beach in the 1990s. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by L. TODD SPENCER
Bob Little has lived in the neighborhood since 1988.``This is a
quiet, upscale neighborhood that is convenient to everywhere,'' he
says.
The old courthouse in Old Donation Farm is as controversial as it is
historical.
This handsome home is just off the Lynnhaven River in Old Donation
Farm.
Graphic
At a Glance
ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD Schools: Pembroke Meadows Elementary,
grades K-5; Independence Middle, grades 6-8; Princess Anne High
School, grades 9-12.
Shopping: Pembroke Meadows Shopping Center, Giant Square Shopping
Center, Pembroke Mall.
Recreation: Tennis courts are in the neighborhood, Pembroke
Meadows community pool, Bayside Community Recreation Center.
Assessments: According to the Virginia Beach city assessor's
office, improved properties are valued from a low of $184,442 to a
high of $642,305, with an average of $291,229. Lots are assessed
from $55,000 to $215,000, with an average in the $150,000-$175,000
range.
FOR SALE
At 4148 Cheswick Lane, a four-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath house was
listed for $299,000.
At 4193 Cheswick Lane, a five-bedroom, four-bath house was listed
for $477,000.
At 4149 Cheswick Lane, a five-bedroom, four-bath house was listed
for $632,500.
Lot 4 on Cheswick Lane, a waterfront lot, was listed for
$173,700.
SOLD
At 4104 Cheswick Lane, a four-bedroom, three-bath house sold in
June for $230,000 after 42 days on the market.
Lot 21 on Cheswick Lane sold in January for $132,000 after 104
days on the market.
Lot 10 on Cheswick Lane sold in October for $192,400 after one
day on the market.
by CNB